


you're oh so familiar now

by eudaemonia



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, the cats always know, the cats knew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 14:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16139066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eudaemonia/pseuds/eudaemonia
Summary: Ada is rather late getting back from a meeting, and Hecate and Pendell find themselves worrying together.Posted in honor of Cass Appreciation Day-- @cassiopeiasara you're one of the nicest people in this fandom and I'm so glad that you continue to bless us with your work!





	you're oh so familiar now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cassiopeiasara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassiopeiasara/gifts).



Hecate was twitchy. It was perfectly normal for Ada to be late coming back from the Headmistress’ Council meetings, because goodness did that bunch like their gossip, but Hecate never felt quite comfortable holding onto the school’s wards while Ada was away.

She told herself this was because this deputy-headmistress-ing thing was still so new to her, but after two whole terms (not to mention the several years of teaching at Cackle’s before that), she couldn’t quite make the argument stand up to her criticism. Sometimes she took care of more of Ada’s duties than Ada herself did, especially anything having to do with forms and official notices. Ada hated paperwork, but she generally took the lead when irate parents popped in unannounced, which Hecate would be forever grateful for, no matter how many reaccreditation forms she had to fill out.

Maybe it would be useful for her to make sure all the potions-supply requisitions _were_ filled out, actually. Certainly better than standing at the window at the end of the west-side corridor and anxiously peering out looking for a sign of Ada’s broom. It was getting too dark for her to see much anyway. Contrary to popular belief, Hecate was _not_ a bat, with all the attendant nighttime navigation skills; she had to use night-vision potion just like everyone else (although hers was just a tad bit stronger than most witches’, she was proud to say).

She transferred to Ada’s office—not directly into it; even when Hecate was technically acting headmistress, if only for a few hours, it did feel presumptuous—and walked in to see if she could find the forms among the mess Ada normally left behind.

As Hecate approached the desk, she thought it all seemed rather more organized than usual, and it wasn’t until she saw Pendell sprawled across the very forms she had been looking for that she remembered that she had already done the blasted things, and made an attempt at straightening up her boss’ desk to boot.

Pendell mewed at her.

“Well met, Pendell,” Hecate murmured cautiously. It wasn’t really done to have any kind of relationship with another witch’s familiar unless you yourself were already in a quite intimate one with the witch in question.

Pendell mewed again and twisted himself around to crane his neck toward Hecate. It was exactly the kind of movement Morgana made when she was looking for attention. She knew how he felt.

“Do you want Ada to come back too?” she asked him. Goddess, when had she started referring to her boss by her first name aloud? For quite some time, Hecate had been thinking of Ada as such in her private thoughts, but she hadn’t yet managed to actually say the word, and still used “Miss Cackle” or “headmistress” with everyone, even when addressing Ada. It was a lovely name, though, and Hecate liked how it felt coming from her lips. In her very private thoughts, Hecate thought that she might like to do something else with her lips regarding Ada, but it would be totally inappropriate for a million reasons, and Hecate really did like her job. And in any case, there was no way Ada would ever return her feelings. After several long nights working together, and even more cups of tea, she had begun to understand that Ada had been very serious with someone many years ago. But it had ended badly and then Ada had come back to Cackle’s and seemed to think that was all behind her now. Hecate would never want to upset the lives they had both made for themselves.

Lost in thought, she had come to stand right next to Ada’s chair, where she normally hovered during meetings. Pendell took the opportunity to stand up and butt his head against her stomach.

“Pendell—!” Hecate took a few steps back. “Do you need a playmate? I can try to bring Morgana here if you want…” The cat mewed at her piteously.

“I… did Ada leave you enough food? Here, I’ll just…” She walked to the small dishes near the fireplace, but found that they were still totally full. Of course, Ada must have activated the replenishing charms. She turned around to find Pendell had moved from the desk to sit directly at her feet. How curious. She couldn’t think what he might want, let alone why he would demand it from her.

“Oh! I’m intruding on your space, aren’t I? I’ve already spent so much time in here today. You must be completely fed up with me! Here, I’ll go.”

Rather than transfer—physical activity really was better for burning off nervous energy—she moved towards the door, thinking that maybe haunting the west corridor wasn’t such a bad idea after all, but Pendell beat her to it. He eyed her suspiciously, daring her to leave.

“What a nasty cat!” Hecate thought, and was sorry immediately for it. In a kinder tone, she told him that she’d stay, for a little while at least.

She went back to the chairs before the fireplace and conjured up a fire in the hearth. It wouldn’t do for Ada to shiver her way through a kindling spell when she finally got back, after all. Pendell continued to track her every movement as she sat down in what she realized she had come to think of as _her_ seat on the sofa and summoned the book on the uses of beetles in potions she had been working her way through. The author was clearly delusional in his premise that the color of the exoskeleton mattered in any way to the efficacy of the brew—it was so obviously all in the size and number of wings. Wizards!

Hecate was having such a nice time correcting him in the margins that she didn’t notice the black paws and delicate whiskers helping themselves up onto the arm of the couch. It wasn’t until Pendell poked his nose into her book that she realized she had a lapful of cat.

“Pendell, really…” she grumbled. “I’m not even your mistress. Weren’t you and Ada supposed to be the most in-sync pair of your generation? What on earth could you want with me?”

Pendell responded by shoving his head under her hand. “It’s _petting_ you want now?” Pendell mewed contentedly.

“Oh, all right.” Hecate vanished her book and gave herself over to stroking his soft fur. “You’re just as cuddly as your mistress, aren’t you?” Morgana would never allow this kind of contact from her, let alone from another witch.

The cat and the witch remained entwined before the fire for quite some time. Every time Hecate attempted to stop the onslaught of cat-affection, Pendell made noises that sounded like _crying,_ and she had to continue. After a while, it became clear that what made him settle down the most was when she made approving comments about Ada, and before Hecate knew it, she was explaining all her confusing feelings about her boss to Pendell.

And still Ada wasn’t back. The clock over the mantle kept ticking and Hecate kept stroking Pendell’s fur and the fire kept crackling in the grate. Soon she was lulled into something like a cat-nap.

“My, don’t you two look cozy.” A soft voice intruded into Hecate’s dreams, and she startled awake to see Ada in front of her, wrapped in her traveling cloak and dripping onto the carpet.

“Ada… you’re back,” Hecate stared. “But what time…” She chanced a glance at the clock and saw that it was already gone one in the morning. She shook herself further awake. “Goodness, what happened on your flight? You were supposed to be back before supper!”

Ada gestured to the water pooled at her feet. “Just a little rainstorm, my dear, nothing to worry about.”

“I think it was rather more than a ‘little’ rain,” Hecate responded, taking in her bedraggled appearance. “You must be freezing. Here, take that cloak off and come warm yourself up front of the fire. I’ll make some tea, and you can tell me about the meeting.” She made to get up, but stopped when she remembered the weight of Pendell in her lap.

“No need,” Ada said, and removed her cloak before plopping herself down next to Hecate. She sighed. “It’s so nice to sit on a proper cushion after all that flying.”

Hecate murmured something of an affirmation, but the cat and the lateness of the hour and Ada’s nearness were making her drowsy.

“How _did_ you end up cuddling my familiar?” Ada’s question poked through her haze.

“Oh, you know what they say about _la chatte_ ,” Hecate said. 

Ada stared before laughing nervously. “Yes, I rather do… I didn’t think _you_ did, though.”

“What?” Then Hecate realized what she had said and jolted upright. “No! No, I didn’t mean it like that, well, I mean, not if… I…”

“Hecate, it’s quite alright,” Ada said. “I’m just rather surprised. Pendell’s never acted like that around any of my friends before, so I simply wondered if…” 

Now it was Hecate’s turn to stare. “Ada?” she asked.

Ada rolled her eyes, but her face softened when she saw Hecate’s anxious expression. “Hecate, don’t you see? Pendell’s more comfortable with you than he’s ever been around anyone, including my sister, and we’re basically the same person. I… don’t you think it’s a sign?”

“A sign?” Hecate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But I didn’t know you… I… I didn’t mean to offend…”

Ada cut her off by unceremoniously magicking Pendell into his basket and settling herself onto Hecate’s lap instead. “Hecate. Come on. You’re my right-hand woman. I trusted you with the wards. I believe you know that the headmistresses of Cackle’s have never let the wards pass out of family hands before, even for a moment? You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had. And Pendell likes you. Pendell. Likes. You.”

She paused to let her words sink in. “It’s clearly meant to be, Hecate, wouldn’t you agree?” She looked directly into Hecate’s eyes, searching for a response.

Despite the strangeness of Ada sitting in her lap, of Ada’s face so close, of the words Ada had just spoken, Hecate stared back. And surprisingly, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Not even close.

And after a long unblinking moment— “Well? Aren’t you going to kiss me?” Ada asked. Hecate startled, but before she could rationalize her hesitance into being, she found herself moving in. Their lips met and Ada smiled into the kiss.

“There.” Ada laughed a little at Hecate’s shellshocked face, and leaned in again to kiss her cheek.  “We’ll talk in the morning, darling, but I think this is all a rather positive development, don’t you?”

“Uh… positive… yes…” Hecate could barely form words. 

Ada made to get up, saying something about not wanting to breach too many barriers at once, but before she could get to her feet, Hecate’s arms were wrapped around her. 

“I didn’t say we had to stop.” Hecate smiled up at her boss, her friend, and her… whatever this was going to be.

“Oh!” Ada smiled back.

When Pendell woke up at the crack of dawn for his first mouse patrol of the day, he chose to register his approval of the witches asleep on the magically-enlarged sofa by mewing loudly for his breakfast. Two mistresses meant twice the serving size, right?

 


End file.
